Page 55 of Upon Blooded Lips (Vengeance #1)
THE UNSEEN
Willowmen, Illinois
T hank you, Father, for blessing me with the gift of patience.
I pace through the small vacant warehouse across the street from the one Tessa’s holed up in with her kidnappers, rubbing the back of my neck. They haven’t left in days, not since the dark-haired one followed Presley to the food truck and sprayed what I’m guessing was some kind of acid on her.
Ever since the giant chased me away from their house the night I tried to hack into their systems, I’ve been following them from a distance, watching, waiting.
I was there when he killed Mr. Wille and in the alley the night Robert tumbled from the roof.
It was then I began to doubt myself. All this time, I thought they’d kidnapped her and were holding her hostage.
But she certainly didn’t seem upset or troubled when she tumbled out of RH Enterprises, her head thrown back in laughter.
Did I gaslight myself? I think back to the night in Club Oblivion, looking back at it in a new light.
Was it me she feared? The thought sends tendrils of self-loathing through me.
But what about the night they were chasing her through the forest?
My eyes fly wide at the realization. Oh, fuck.
I swallow down the lump in my throat. I’m an idiot.
But the thought of leaving now makes me physically ill. I can’t, not yet. Not until I’m one hundred percent sure. I need to look her in the eyes and ask if she’s safe and happy. Only then will my mission be complete. Only then can I finally move on and find the one He promised me.
I stop in front of a window and peer out at their building, a growing restlessness building inside me. They have to come out sometime, right?
I’m about to resume my pacing when the metal doors slide open and the big guy pulls out, his gaze sliding over me.
He drives out of the parking lot and turns left.
I leap toward my bike to follow, then stop myself.
It doesn’t matter what he’s doing. Tessa’s still inside, and I’m not leaving here until I get my answers.
Willowmen, Illinois
Wednesday 12:25 p.m.
The microwave pings, and I yank out the TV dinner, cursing under my breath when it burns my fingers.
I wave my hand, blowing on it, when movement from across the street draws my attention.
When the fuck did that floral van get there?
Two men carry out the dark-haired one and toss him into the back before a third comes out, dragging a bound and gagged Tessa, who struggles against his hold.
I race across the warehouse and throw my backpack into the bike’s top box, clip on my helmet, and wheel the motorcycle out of the side door so they don’t spot me. Two minutes later, the van speeds past me, heading toward the freeway. I keep several cars behind but never let them out of my view.
It quickly becomes apparent we’re heading toward Wisconsin, although I can’t fathom why or who the kidnappers are.
While my hacking attempt wasn’t successful, I did learn who took Tessa—The Brothers.
They’re notorious on the dark web, and anyone who’s anyone knows who they are.
They’re fucking ruthless. And although it pains me to admit it, the hacker half of the duo’s skills surpass mine, which I begrudgingly have to admire.
Is that why these men have taken them? Did their work put Tessa in danger?
Rage simmers in my blood, a low boil that increases with every mile.
And with it, comes clarity. This is it. This is the penultimate moment I’ve been waiting thirteen years for, ever since the day God’s grace shone on a little girl in church who saw me, and smiled at me anyway.
If I can save her now, my Father will forgive the many sins of my past and reward me with the one I have spent years longing to find.
New determination fills me when we cross the border. I fall farther back as traffic thins and wide-open land leads to less cover.
The end is almost in sight, and I won’t fail this time.
Hold on, little cherub, The Unseen is coming.
Salem Lakes, Wisconsin
Wednesday 2:43 p.m.
Whoever took Tessa isn’t too bright. Sure, they took all the right precautions—the closest house is about a mile away, leaving no witnesses.
Besides the small house and classic Midwestern red barn and silo, there’s nothing but endless waves of cornfields.
But those cornfields also provide a multitude of places to hide.
An entire army could surround the farm without them knowing.
I’ve spent the past hour and a half casing out the place, ever since they dragged the unconscious brother into the barn and carried Tessa into the silo.
Fifteen guards wander aimlessly around, and while they look bored, their fingers never leave the triggers on their assault rifles.
I’ve been circling the grounds, searching for the right moment, but they’re always in groups of two and three, and I’m only one man.
Patience.
And then it happens. A guard comes out of the house alone, bouncing down the steps and heading toward the barn.
I slide through the cornstalks, noting how the men watching the barn move off and head toward the back of the house.
He must be getting the brother. I leave the protection the corn provided and slink up to the barn, peeking out around the side, my hand tightening around my knife.
Something thuds against the wall beside me, the rotting timber fracturing against the weight. “Get fucked,” one of them says before the door flies open, and the brother stumbles out with the guard behind him.
“Keep moving,” the guard orders, his hand pressed firmly on the brother’s back.
I come up behind him, grab his neck, and slit his throat.
Blood sprays along the face of the barn, the bright-red color reviving the faded-red paint.
He drops to the ground, his eyes wide with disbelief, hands clutching at his neck.
The brother turns, his flared nostrils the only outward sign he’s startled.
“Sorry, man, but I currently don’t have anything for you to hack,” he says, his tone flippant but his gaze hard and mistrusting.
Sorry, man. I recognize his voice instantly. Those were the words my assailant spoke right before knocking me unconscious at Tessa’s graduation. Motherfucker.
He lets out an “ Oomph ” as I drive my fist into his stomach. He doubles over and pukes into the grass before righting himself and wiping his mouth on his sleeve. “What the fuck was that for?”
“For drugging me, you little prick.”
“Drugging you? I don’t even know?—”
I lift my mask, and his jaw drops. “You? You’re The Unseen?” He stares at me, dumbfounded. “But you’re?—”
I cover my face again and step closer to him. “There’s something I need to know.”
“What?”
“What’s Tessa to you?”
He doesn’t hesitate, not even for a second. “Everything. She’s fucking everything.”
I give him a terse nod and draw a handcuff key from my pocket. “Okay, we need to—” Something punches into my chest, knocking me off my feet.
A guard stands over me with a smirk and flips up my mask, checking out my locked gaze, the crimson trail oozing out of my mouth, and my bloodstained chest. “He’s dead,” he announces to his friend, who has hold of the brother.
“Come on, the boss wants that one inside. The pretty little filly needs some incentive to behave.”